This is a fascinating travel log, including a good number of photos, by an accomplished magician circling the globe including visits to India, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Unites States, Canada and other places. He devotes three fascinating chapters to the tricks of the Indian conjurers, but does not tell us a lot about his own performances during his voyage.
From the introduction by Professor Hoffmann:
A book of travel, written by a keen observer, is always interesting. Charles Bertram was not only a keen observer, but enjoyed opportunities of observation denied to ninety-nine travellers out of a hundred. His exceptional skill in his fascinating craft, his popularity as a public entertainer, and his personal good-fellowship had made for him a host of friends, and probably no man ever started on a journey round the world more amply provided with letters of recommendation to the four quarters of the globe. And wherever the magic carpet set him down, he had the happy knack of making yet more and more friends: all eager to show him what was best worth seeing in his temporary halting-place.
This book was published posthumously. The final editing was done by Betram's wife Clara, his friend Bellingham, and Professor Hoffmann.
- CHAPTER 1: I decided to tour the world - The Oceania - Port Said - A local conjuror - I change 'busses' - The Shannon - A Mahometan funeral
- CHAPTER 2: Bombay - The Tivoli Theatre - I lunch at Government House - Secunderabad - Mr. Jacobs, known to the world as 'Mr. Isaacs' - Hyderabad
- CHAPTER 3: Raipur - The Raj Kumai College - Travelling by 'bullock Tonga' - I ride on an elephant - Calcutta - I perform at Government House - Lord Curzon - The Nawab Dacca
- CHAPTER 4: The Black Hole of Calcutta - The Burning Ghats - The Botanical Gardens, the Banyan Tree - Indian Railway Travelling
- CHAPTER 5: Allahabad - Fakirs, their extraordinary tasks and penances - The nude procession - The Railway Theatre - I meet an unexpected acquaintance - Benares - I pay my respects to the Maharajah and visit the Holy Man - The Monkey and Golden Temples
- CHAPTER 6: Lucknow - The Residency - I open at the Mohamed Bagh Theatre - A supplementary 'Show' at the Chatr Munzil Palace - Cawnpore - My illness - I struggle though helped by my boy Jairham Jugga - Cawnpore - I watch a performance of the Mango tree trick - Meerut - The Whela Club - Umballa - I meet General Penn Symons - An invitation from the Maharajah of Kapurthala - Am splendidly entertained - A Durbar
- CHAPTER 7: Buona Vista - Amritzar: the Golden Temple - Lahore Patiala - His Highness The Maharajah
- CHAPTER 8: The Holi Festival - I am initiated
- CHAPTER 9: Delhi - The Kutb Minar, a monument of victory - The Iron Pillar - A native Baboon - I get a fright
- CHAPTER 10: Johdpur - The value of a 'peg' - I visit the Maharajah - Amber - The palace - The fete in honor of the Goddess of Wealth - The sacred alligators - A tug of war between man and beast - Exit Bertram hurriedly!
- CHAPTER 11: Agra - The Taj Mahal - I perform before the Maharajah of Khetri - Stampede of the natives - Bertram the 'devil-man' - Observation on the mosquito
- CHAPTER 12: Dholpur - I visited the Maharana - Am honoured in being permitted to occupy the guest chambers used by his late Majesty King Edward as Prince of Wales in 1876 - I perform before the ladies of the Zenana - Have a narrow escape from a tiger - Give lessons in legerdemain to the Maharajah Patiala
- CHAPTER 13: Gwalior - The vagaries of the 'punkah' - an elephant ride
- CHAPTER 14: Baroda - The kindness of His Highness the Gaekwar - In the Durbar Hall I give a State performance - The horrors of the famine
- CHAPTER 15: The Koiar Gold-field - Bangalore - An examination by the plague officials
- CHAPTER 16: Madras - My 'boy' climbs for 'toddy' - I perform before Lord Havelock - 'The Catamaran'
- CHAPTER 17: Trichinopoli - The terra-cotta horses - I accept a volunteer ticket-seller - and pay for it
- CHAPTER 18: I visit the Rajah of Puddakkotai - and am greatly honoured - a State performance in the Library
- CHAPTER 19: Indian Jugglers and Conjurers - The Mango tree-trick - a few comments on travellers' tales
- CHAPTER 20: The Rope Trick - tall stories - and their absurdity - Basket Trick
- CHAPTER 21: Indian Conjurers - Hussain Bux - some effective tricks - my opinions - The pearl fisheries at Tuticorin - Ceylon - I visit the Boer Camp
- CHAPTER 22: Rangoon Central Prison - murderers and convicts - The proclamation of King Edward VII as Emperor of India - Mandalay - King Thebaw's Palace - A Burmese festival - Pponghyi Honey
- CHAPTER 23: Penang - I find a Dutch wife - Singapore - I risk my life in a 'sampan' - The Chinese New Year - Hong-Kong - Pidgin English
- CHAPTER 24: Canton - The execution ground: hacked to pieces - Slow strangulation - Sanghai - The English settlement - I meet my friend Mr. Percy Brough - We witness 'Justice while you wait'
- CHAPTER 25: I take a Chinese Dinner - and afterwards dine at the Club - The Chinese Theatre - A long performance - I give a show - Received in silence but with great success - Governor Kwei receives me kindly at Soochow - A Chinese punishment
- CHAPTER 26: Japan - Bertram the Buffoon - I take out a license - Kobe - Yokohama - I am commanded to appear before the Mikado
- CHAPTER 27: Tokio - Sidelights on Japanese cleanliness - I perform before the Court - The Shrine of Nikko - Kioto - the Cherry Dances - The Geisha Girls
- CHAPTER 28: Japanese Jugglers - A Japanese Play - blood-thirsty performance - A visit to a Geisha House
- CHAPTER 29: Hong Kong - Robert and Percy Brough meet me - Percy and I play poker - We capture a small shark and sight the 'Ophir' with the present King and Queen on board - Sydney - Melbourne - I surprise the Chief of Police - Bendigo - Mary-borough, the Mayor receives me - Mudgee Forbes - Australian Hooligans - Jerilderie, the notorious Ned Kelly gang - A fit up show 'When London Sleeps' - Yarrowonga - I ride in a coach - 'Ici on parle Francais' - Sydney loafers and thieves
- CHAPTER 30: New Zealand - Auckland - Sir Hector Macdonald reviews the troops - Crossing the Line - Honolulu
- CHAPTER 31: San Francisco - The Chinese quarter - Opium dens and Theatres - New York - The visit of Li Hung Chang - Coney Island - 'A clam bake'
- CHAPTER 32: Philadelphia - I visit the Mint - cycling at Atlantic City - Boston - Charlestown
- CHAPTER 33: Montreal - The students attend my performance - Niagara - Quebec - Ottawa - A fire at the Government Buildings
- CHAPTER 34: Chicago - 'Hold ups' - Sandbagging - Messrs Armours Establishment - I witness the process - St. Louis I perform before the famous Joseph Jefferson - Cincinnati - An American 'Train Boy'
- CHAPTER 35: I meet my famous confrere Kellar - An advertising dodge - Cleveland - Mark Hanna the American statesman assists me on the Stage - St. Paul - Sleighing - Nashville - A Negro Court - 'I'll cut you deep' - New Orleans
- CHAPTER 36: Washington - I am a millionaire - for a second or two - Baltimore - Richmond - the Ice harvest - Brett and I and the bears
- CHAPTER 37: Saratoga chips - Trunk smashers at work - Down the Hudson - Election day in New York - The American Woman
- CHAPTER 38: Homewards bound on the Lucania - A Little Game at Poker - I deal, and retire - The reward of Innocence - Euston
1st edition 1911, 315 pages; PDF 159 pages.word count: 69218 which is equivalent to 276 standard pages of text